Giving Thoughts

Advancing the Well-Being of Apparel Workers

By Michael Kobori, VP of Sustainability, Levi Strauss & Co.

At Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.), the safety and well-being of apparel workers has always been a critical part of our business. More than 20 years ago, LS&Co. established itself as the industry standard bearer for responsible supply chain practices with the introduction of its Terms of Engagement—a comprehensive workplace code of conduct for our manufacturing suppliers that outlines requirements by which all of the factories we work with must abide. But we knew we had to go beyond compliance to invest in programs that focused on improving the lives of the workers who make our products—both inside and beyond the factory walls. We knew we could, and should, do more.

That’s why, in 2011, we launched the LS&Co. Worker Well-being Initiative.

First launched as a pilot in factories in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Haiti and Pakistan, the initiative partners with our vendors and local organizations to implement worker programs focused on financial empowerment, health and family well-being, and equality and acceptance.

The initiative is unique to the industry in that it goes beyond philanthropy. We partner with vendors to integrate Worker Well-being programs into the way they operate. This creates an economic value for the vendors and long-term benefits for workers. We believe that investments in these programs enable a more conducive business environment, creating value for workers, factories and LS&Co.

So how does it work?

It all starts with listening to workers’ needs. We work with local NGOs to conduct surveys that identify the most important needs of workers. Workers in Bangladesh may have very different needs than those in China, so it is critical to the program that we understand what those are.

Once we know the greatest areas of opportunity, we provide grants to local and national organizations to develop programs to meet those needs. LS&Co. is fortunate to have cultivated an extensive network of partners through the company’s years of philanthropic work. In areas in which we do not have existing connections, we work with our vendors to identify new partners and we provide them seed grants to create new programs for the workers.

We’ve seen positive results from the programs so far. For example, workers in Pakistan reported increased awareness of community health services and using them more frequently after completing female health training. And in Haiti, participants in a financial literacy training purchased solar lamps to decrease kerosene costs. The saved money went right into their factory savings account.

There are benefits to our vendors as well. For example, following women’s health education programs in Egypt, a study showed that for every $1 invested in providing health education training to workers, a $4 return was realized in the form of reduced absenteeism and lower turnover rates among female workers.

Since launching in 2011, we have expanded the program to ten countries, reaching more than 64,000 workers. And we’re planning to expand the program to Mexico and Lesotho in 2016, reaching more than 90,000 workers. By 2020, our goal is to reach more than 140,000 workers.

We’ve also had a number of other brands and retailers from the apparel sector contact us with an interest in partnering on this initiative. We’re also expanding outside of our industry. From technology and banking to pharmaceutical companies, we’re working with companies that are interested in our approach.

About the author:

Michael Kobori has led sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co. since 2001. Under his leadership, the company has been a pioneer in bringing sustainability to the apparel industry. He has been a champion of industry collaboration on sustainability, serving as Chair of the Better Cotton Initiative and Board member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. In 2014, Fast Company magazine named him one of the 1000 Most Creative People in Business. Follow him on Twitter @KoboriGrillsCSR.